Flemington Racing Tips for January 17 – Jimmy to bounce back over the mile at Flemington

Here are our best bets from the meeting, which also features in our Saturday tipsheet.

Going with Yes I Know in Race 4. The Freedman galloper has been knocking on the door in his three runs this time in and has had excuses in those runs. He probably should have just about won at the Bendigo Saturday meeting in December two starts back before heading to Flemington on New Years Eve and finishing runner-up behind Fiorenot. The son of So You Think was posted three-wide in a midfield position and loomed up but could not get past the winner in what does appear to be the better form reference for this race. He meets Fiorenot 2.5kg better at the weights, while he maps to land in a much better spot this time around from barrier 2. Every indication suggests that the 2000m and fourth up are extra ticks, while he gets the blinkers on for the first time. 

Backing Jimmy The Bear to be an improver in Race 6. The seven-year-old has finished 8th in his two runs this time in, which have been over the 1400m. He wasnt suited in the most recent of those, which came in the Group 3 Kensington Stakes at Flemington on New Years Eve in a race where they crawled early before it developed into a sit-sprint. Performance may have been better than it looked and he did improve more than six lengths on benchmark figures from his first up run. Form over the 1600m is first class with six wins from 15 starts, including two from five at Flemington. At this stage of his last preparion, he was runner-up over the 1620m behind Oh Too Good before going on to win three straight over the mile, including two at the track. Tempo does not look as muddling in this race, which should suit his tenacity, while he draws the paint this time around. 

Red Galaxy creates interest in Race 7. The Greg Eurell-trained galloper tackles the straight for the first time and comes off an encouraging first-up effort at Geelong when closing off with the fastest last 200m to place 3rd over the 1100m behind Sweethearted at the recent Saturday meeting at the venue. The lightly raced five-year-old has spiked big time on benchmark figures at his two career second up runs and while he is an unknown down the straight, he is two from two in runs over the 1200m. The son of Stratum Star has won or placed in seven of his nine career runs and had excuses in the other two. He draws the grandstand side and most likely in the better going, while he gets the 2kg claim for Luke Cartwright.